Former Proteas bowler Kyle Abbott says he can’t wait to play in front of his home crowd in the Mzansi Super League.

The 31-year-old announced that he would sign a Kolpak deal in January 2017, during the second Test against Sri Lanka.

The speedster joined Hampshire and has excelled for his county, taking 60 wickets in the 2017 season and 51 wickets in the 2018 season.

He now turns his attention to the Mzansi Super League, after being picked up by the Durban Heat.

‘It’s great to be involved in a tournament like this in your home country,’ said Abbott.

‘I’ve always loved playing cricket at Kingsmead and I cannot wait to get back there and play in front of the Durban faithful.’

Coach Grant Morgan admitted he had many sleepless nights in the buildup to the draft and he heaped praise on his brains trust for picking the best possible squad in the end.

‘Having Imraan [Khan] there helping was hugely important and we plotted and planned as many different outcomes as we could,’ said the Durban Heat coach.

‘To have him, the CEO and our convener of selectors there helped hugely in us making all our decisions for the right reasons.’

During the eccentric media launch that saw Zulu dancers entertaining the crowd, KwaZulu-Natal CEO Heinrich Strydom spoke about his hopes for the tournament that kicks off on 16 November.

‘We were pretty nervous going into the draft but we are really happy with how our team came out in the end,’ said Strydom.

‘Our vision was to get as many local players as we could and fill the other spots with match-winners and with 13 international cricketers and eight Hollywoodbets Dolphins, we are excited for the tournament.’